Shelf structure



Oct. 27, 1964 E. F. HAMILTON 3,154,028

SHELF STRUCTURE Filed March 26, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. [#64 F firm/1m;

Oct. 27, 1964 E. F. HAMILTON 3,154,028

SHELF STRUCTURE Filed March 26, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INENTOR.

a BY 67 Z 'T AMSL MJM United States Patent Office 3,154,928 Get. 27, 19554 3,154,028 511E111 STREUQITEJRE Earl F. Hamilton, Columbus, 1nd, assignor to Hamilton Cosco, Ina, Coinmhns, ind, a corporation of Indiana Filed Mar. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 268,193 3 Claims. ((11. 108-60) This invention relates to a shelf and more particularly to a shelf structure having a trellis mounted thereon.

It is an object of my invention to provide a shelf structure having a trellis of attractive appearance which can be quickly and easily mounted on a shelf structure, which will provide a grid area about which plants can entwine themselves, and which can be economically manufactured from inexpensive lengths of metal rod.

In accordance with the preferred form of my invention, there is provided a pair of vertically spaced shelves mounted 'on ground-engaging legs and having opposed skirts along at least one of their edges. Mounted on said shelves is a trellis comprising a pair of vertically extending members having their ends curved inwardly toward each other and lockingly engaging said skirts. Said pair of members are interconnected by a plurality of cross rods rigidly connected to said members. Conveniently, at least one vertical rod is connected to said cross rods and has its ends deformed for reception over the skirts on the shelves.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows and from the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shelf structure embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front view of a portion of the shelves and the trellis shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a horiontal section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 55 of FIG. 2.

My shelf construction comprises a pair of vertically spaced shelves and 11 rigidly mounted on a plurality of ground-engaging legs 12. Conveniently, the shelves are formed from sheet-metal and are provided with peripheral border skirts 14 whose edges terminate in inwardly rolled beads 15. As shown in FIG. 2, the shelves are mounted on the legs 12 in opposed relationship so that the skirt 14 on the lower shelf 10 projects upwardly and the skirt 14 on the shelf 11 projects downwardly.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings .a pair of trellises 16 extend between the shelves 10 and 11 along one side of said shelves. The trellises are identical in construction, and each is formed from interconnected lengths of metal rod. As shown, each trellis comprises a pair of vertical members 18 interconnected to each other and braced by a vertically spaced plurality of cross rods 20. The members 18 have a ver'tical extent greater than the distance between the beads on the shelves 10 and 11, and said members are provided with offsets 21 adjacent their ends which are received against the opposed horizontally disposed edges of said beads. outwardly of the offsets 21 and within the vertical extents of the skirts 14 the members 18 are bent inwardly toward each other to provide generally horizontally disposed stretches 22. The extreme ends of the members are bent normal to the stretches 22 and are flattened to define fingers 24 receivable between the beads 15 and the skirts 14 for retaining the trellis on the shelves. As shown in FIG. 3, the beads 15 are spaced slightly inwardly from their skirts 14 in the areas of the fingers 24 for reception of said fingers between said beads and skirts. The stretches 22 are at a slightly acuate angle with respect to the intermediate stretches of the members 20 so that said stretches may be sprung outwardly away from each other from their dotted line to their full line positions shown in FIG. 2 whereby the fingers 24 will be retained between the beads 15 and skirts 14 by the inherent resiliency of the stretches 22.

A plurality of vertical rods 26 are rigidly connected to the cross rods 20 between the members 18 to brace the trellis and provide with the members 18 and cross rods 20 additional grid structure about which plants may entwine themselves. The rods 26 have lengths greater than the distance between the beads 15 and the ends of said rods are offset inwardly, as at 28, to abut the opposed faces of said beads and dispose the ends of the rods within the vertical extents of the skirts 14.

I claim:

1. In a shelf structure,

(a) a pair of vertically spaced shelves having opposed skirts along at least one of their edges,

(17) a trellis extending between said shelves and comprising a pair of vertically extending members having their ends received over said skirts,

(6) means on said vertical members and skirts for releasably mounting said trellis on said shelves,

(d) a plurality of cross rods rigidly connected to said vertical members, and

(e) a plurality of vertical rods rigidly connected to said cross rods between said vertical members,

(f) said vertical rods having offsets adjacent their opposed ends abutting the opposed edges of said skirts.

2. In a shelf structure,

(a) a pair of vertically spaced shelves having opposed skirts along at least one of their edges,

(b) beads extending along the edges of said skirts,

(c) a trellis extending between said shelves and comprising a pair of vertically extending members having oifsets adjacent their ends abutting the opposed edges of said beads,

(d) the ends of said vertical members lying within the vertical extent of said skirts and terminating in fingers interposed between said beads and skirts for releasably mounting said trellis on said shelves, and

(e) a plurality of cross rods rigidly connected to said vertical members.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 2 in which (a) the ends of each of said vertical members comprise horizontal stretches spring-stressed in opposite directions and terminating in fingers generally normal thereto releasably retained between said skirts and beads by the resiliency of said horizontal stretches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 719,060 Thomas Jan. 27, 1903 780,627 Umbehend Jan. 24, 1905 2,315,595 Chappory April 6, 1943 2,776,089 Burrowes et al. Jan. 1, 1957 2,839,203 Becker June 17, 1958 2,886,186 Hamilton May 12, 1959 2,953,258 Streit Sept. 20, 1960 3,065,860 Swanson Nov. 27, 1962 3,082,711 Vetere Mar. 26, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 159,515 Great Britain Mar. 10, 1921 

1. IN A SHELF STRUCTURE, (A) A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SPACED SHELVES HAVING OPPOSED SKIRTS ALONG AT LEAST ONE OF THEIR EDGES, (B) A TRELLIS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SHELVES AND COMPRISING A PAIR OF VERTICALLY EXTENDING MEMBERS HAVING THEIR ENDS RECEIVED OVER SAID SKIRTS, (C) MEANS ON SAID VERTICAL MEMBERS AND SKIRTS FOR RELEASABLY MOUNTING SAID TRELLIS ON SAID SHELVES, (D) A PLURALITY OF CROSS RODS RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID VERTICAL MEMBERS, AND (E) A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL RODS RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID CROSS RODS BETWEEN SAID VERTICAL MEMBERS, (F) SAID VERTICAL RODS HAVING OFFSETS ADJACENT THEIR OPPOSED ENDS ABUTTING THE OPPOSED EDGES OF SAID SKIRTS. 